XO Tours, your two-wheeled experience of the streets of Saigon

XO stands for Xe Om, the name for motorbike taxis. However, XO Tours riders are far from your typical guy on the corner motorbike taxi. Mr Tung is the man behind the new tour concept of letting female guides dressed in traditional Vietnamese dress, Ao Dai, take tourists around for a spin.

People arriving to Saigon for the first time are easily overwhelmed by the traffic. I remember when I arrived for the first time, the endless streams of motorbikes. I was advised to take a taxi and get my bearings before attempting to be a local and hire a motorbike taxi, a xe om.

As they say “When in Rome…”. I did, within the next few weeks of my arrival, try out the local motorbike taxis. Some were careful riders, others, they had a secret wish for being a formula one driver, leaving you sweating after a ride filled with anxiousness and close calls. I bought my own bike.

The Vietnamese family that I stayed with at that time were convinced I would have accidents and quickly taught me the words to say sorry before letting me out of the gates on my bike. Knock on wood, I still haven’t caused a road accident. I have been victim of road accidents and that is easy in a city where people do not respect traffic rules and regulations.

However, I was fortunate enough to provide images for XO Tours and I believe Tung has a really good concept on his hands by letting tourists explore the city on wheels safely. Read more about it on their website.